Tag Archives: Timelines

**update: I have decided that this is not the birth record of Indriks Ziverts. The surname looks to me more like “Strasds” or something to the like. There’s more of this surname in Embute. The rest of the info about Indriks here is accurate, but I do believe the search for his baptismal record is back on**

Indriks Straute

To me, it looks like this record has some Russian cyrillic letters mixed in with the German, but Indriks, as well as everyone else listed on the page has a “someone Von Lundberg” named in their baptism. A landowner/baron? The pastor? Sounds pretty German to me, so that would be my best guess. Along with Von Lundberg, I can make out Lize Berzins, and Indriks and Bille Jankowski (sp?) Jankowski is a guess, but there are other Jankowskis in the area. These 3 are godparents I assume? Not very helpful just yet but they may be good clues later.

Indriks married Jule Dzerve around 1895. From then on, they resided at Skrundenieki (according to the 1941 census).

Their first child, Klavs Schanis (sp?) was born one day in April 1896 at 11pm, at Skrundenieki. (I haven’t made out the exact day yet). He was baptised at Embute. His parents are both listed as Lutheran, and his godparents are Klavs Schanis Ziverts and Karlis Jekabsons.

Their second child Peteris was born November 28, 1897 at 10 am. He was baptised December 26, 1897 at Embute and his godparents were Peteris Ziverts, Karlis Jekabsons and Lawise Dzerve.

Their third child Fricis was born June 9, 1900 at 5am. He was baptised June 24, 1900 at Embute.

Their fourth child Arturs was born November 2, 1901 at 7pm. He was baptisted December 2, 1901 at Embute.

Their fifth child Lucija was born in Agugust of 1904 at 6pm (havent made out the day yet). She was baptised that October at Embute.

There were more children, the youngest, Ida was born in 1919 I believe. Again their birth information does not yield much useful information yet, but the godparents may be helpful later when I know more.

Combing through the Embute church books from 1852 back seems to be my only lead. I may finally have to take a crack at the revision lists on Raduraksti too. It does look positive that I may be able to find the next generation here. All I need to do is find the time to go through the records!

Jekabs Grinbergs alias Akerfelds was born around 1870, judging from his death record in 1904 at age 34. He married Ieva Sedols on November 14, 1892 at Embute Lutheran church.

Their first child Ernests was born April 1st, 1893 at 2 in the morning at Muizaraji farm in Lieldzelda (a little north of present-day Nikrace). He was baptised April 17th at Embute. Jekabs is listed as a worker, and both he and Ieva are recorded as Lutheran. His godparents are listed as Ernests Akerfelds (Hakenfeld) and his wife Annlise (was Ernests Jekabs’ brother?)

Their second child, Anna was born September 2nd, 1894 at 5 in the morning, also at Muizaraji farm. Her godparents are listed as Janis Sedols, worker and Katrine Sedols, servant. (Siblings of Ieva?)

Their third child is my ancestor Janis. He was born September 30th, 1898 in Nikrace pagast, according to his DP card. This has to be incorrect, as Nikrace did not exist at the time of his birth, rather it would have been Lieldzelda or Brinki. I cannot find his baptism record anywhere.

Their fourth child Martins was born in 1902 in Tomsk, Siberia. What were they doing in Siberia? Tomsk is a city, but also a region. This is the Martins that would eventually be deported back to Siberia.

Jekabs died back in Latvia in July 1904, leaving behind his four young children and a pregnant Ieva. His cause of death is listed as either lung or kidney disease.

Their fifth and final child Katte, was born November of 1904 at Cepli farm in Lieldzelda, a few months after her fathers passing.

It would be great to find some kind of clue to look for Jekabs’ baptismal record, or what farm/estate he was on prior to living at Muizaraji with Ieva. Anything really, to help point to his father. Likely, his father was a Grinbergs, and decided to call himself and his sons Akerfelds to help differentiate from the multiple other unrelated Grinbergs families. We will see, I guess!

The Akerfelds finally left their home at Skrundenieki in October of 1944, following the German army’s retreat west as the Soviet army pushed them back across Latvia. Both Akerfelds and Ziverts families had seen uncles and their families arrested and deported to Siberian gulags by the Soviets, and wanted nothing to do with the Soviet regime. One of the types of documents I received from the ITS was a questionnaire filled out by DP’s explaining why they couldn’t be repatriated to Latvia. Every one of the Akerfelds/Ziverts family who filled out this from stated “I do not like to live under the present communist regime”. Arturs Ziverts and Janis Akerfelds added in that their brothers had been arrested and deported by the Soviets.

Snippet from an IRO Application form

The Akerfelds’ Displaced Persons Timeline:Early Oct 1944 – Forced to flee Skrundenieki by retreating German army. Fled to Liepaja, Latvia23 Oct 1944 – Forcibly evacuated from Liepaja to German controlled Gotenhaufen, where they were put in a camp for foreign workersLate Oct 1944 – Tranferred to a gathering camp for foreign workers at Kelsterbach, Hesse, GermanyNov 1944 – In Echzell, Hesse, Germany where Janis and the older children would be employed at a sawmill owned by a man named Hermann Mogk III17 Dec 1944 – third last Akerfelds sibling born in EchzellMay 1945 – Allied forces liberated and occupied Germany at this point. The Akerfelds crew were in a DP Camp in Wiesbaden, the capital of the American occupied state of Hesse where Janis worked for the US Army.Oct 1945 – the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), takes responsibility for the care of all persons displaced by the warFeb 1946 – Family transferred to Bidingen, Hesse, Germany4 May 1946 – Family transferred to Dieburg DP Camp, in Hesse21 Oct 1946 – Family transferred to Darmstadt DP Camp, where Janis was employed as a bricklayer by the US Army28 Oct 1946 – Second last Akerfelds sibling born in Darmstadt1947 – Arvids Akerfelds departed for Belgium to work as a coal minerJun 1948 – Family transferred to Neustadt, Hesse Germany. Janis working as a bricklayer for the International Refugee Organization29 Aug 1948 – youngest Akerfelds sibling is born in NeustadtSep 1948 – Janis employed by US Labour Service Corps in Bad Nauheim, Hesse. I do know that a 8252 Latvian LSC was stationed here29 Oct 1948 – Family traversed through a control centre in Fulda, HesseMay 1949 – Family transferred once again to Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany where Janis worked as a bricklayer for the International Refugee Organization. Likely the eldest son Arturs met his future wife Luise Gottle here at this time. The DP camp here was called HochfeldAug 1949 – Arvids Akerfelds returns to Germany, turns up at Hanau DP Camp, Hesse.12 Aug 1950 – Family departed Bremerhaven in northern Germany aboard the SS General Harry Taylor, bound for the USA15 Sep 1950 – Arturs Akerfelds married Luise Gottle in Augsburg, Germany27 Feb 1951 – Arturs Akerfelds was released from IRO care to join the German economy25 Jan 1957 – Arvids Akerfelds departs Germany from Frankfurt, Hesse.